


Recovery and Reconstruction 11 -- New Frontiers

by Viola_Laterra



Series: Recovery and Reconstruction [11]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Canon Continuation, F/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-12 09:15:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18443537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viola_Laterra/pseuds/Viola_Laterra
Summary: More than a year since Zelda's coronation, it is time for the other side of the continent to be explored.  Link is the natural choice to be sent for this purpose; Zelda grapples with her feelings when he comes to say farewell.





	Recovery and Reconstruction 11 -- New Frontiers

Zelda sat in her study, staring out the window. Half daydreaming, half chewing on a problem she'd been discussing earlier in the day with the Zora, regarding river pollution. In order to rebuild Hyrule castle and town, a lot of timber had been needed, and the lumber mill they'd built on the river was starting to cause problems. She was considering whether that level of demand for timber would continue, and whether it was smart to keep using the trees in that part of the country or whether they ought to dismantle the mill for now and let the forest grow back. But it was a lovely day outside, and she was also thinking about an interesting new species of amphibian they'd discovered out in the Romani Plains, and how she'd love to be out there looking for more of them. 

There was a knock at the door, and she startled back into the present. "Yes, come in," she called. And in walked the Champions: Prince Sidon of the Zora, Makeela Riju of the Gerudo, Yunobo of the Gorons, and Teba of the Rito. And of course, Link representing the Hylians. Zelda had given them all appropriate adornments in the traditional blue of the Champions, but Link was still the only one with a tunic in that color. 

Seeing them all together was so gratifying, even now. Like they had been the final piece of the puzzle... the last part of Hyrule's infrastructure that needed rebuilding. Zelda had been extremely tentative about suggesting that there should be Champions again, other than Link; having been the one who asked for them the last time, and having gotten them all killed, she hadn't felt that she ought to bring it up, either politically or personally. And in the end, it was the elder of the Rito who had raised the question. 

And it had turned out that all the peoples of Hyrule had wanted to re-instate the Champions, and all had willing volunteers to serve in those roles. And the new Champions worked better together than the Champions of a century ago -- not thrown together under the duress of the Calamity, but instead choosing to work as a team to address the grand challenges faced by the country. Though it had been months already since they'd started working together, Zelda always felt a wave of joy when she saw them all assembled, as if it were still the first time they'd all stood before her as a group. She felt a sense of karmic forgiveness, that this set of bonds could exist again in the world.

Zelda stood, careful to keep her balance, and went across the room to greet them. "Well met, my friends," she said. They each nodded and greeted her, Sidon grinning toothily, Yunobo shyly smiling at her. Teba inclined his head regally, and Makeela came to give her a hug. She was much taller now; Gerudo grew faster than Hylians and Makeela would soon be a full adult as determined by her culture.

Still, it was awkward to hug her around a belly growing larger by the day; it was just starting to affect Zelda's balance. And the touch of Makeela's skin still reminded her just a little of Urbosa. All the same, she returned the hug gladly.

Link stood away, waiting for the other Champions to finish greeting the Queen. Zelda met his eyes across the room, and he smiled at her. She smiled back, and then turned back to the group and said, "It's about time, then?"

Yunobo said in his soft voice, "Yes, my lady, it is. The cannon is in position now near the summit." It had taken some doing, to get one of the Goron devices all the way from Death Mountain to Hebra, but eventually Purah and Robbie had come up with a way to use Vah Medoh to transport it in pieces.

The Council of Hyrule had debated endlessly about what would be the best way to get someone to the other side of the gorge in order to explore the other side of the continent. One thought had been to bring Vah Medoh itself to the other side, but Purah and Robbie had concerns about the Sheikah technology's function outside Hyrule. They still didn't fully understand how the ancient power sources worked, and one of the going theories was that it relied on the power of the land itself, or some remnant of the Goddess Hylia's spirit that was imbued in the land.

And Zelda had pointed out that if there was indeed another civilization on the other side, they might interpret the appearance of an enormous flying machine in their skies as aggression; and the Divine Beasts were precious enough that they ought to be kept within Hyrule's borders if at all possible.

Then the next thought had been to put the cannon on Vah Medoh to fire someone down across the gorge; but the Gorons said that their cannon's momentum would only work correctly if anchored into the earth, to absorb the recoil properly. Purah had agreed that the calculations were more reliable that way. So instead, they would station Vah Medoh above Hebra, shoot a Hylian out of a cannon from Hebra partway across the gorge, and have them glide the rest of the way with a paraglider; and have a Rito fly across from Vah Medoh. Teba and Link had been training for months to do this operation; with the agreement that when they were to return, either Link's Sheikah slate would still be able to transport him back to Hia Miu shrine and Teba could fly back unladen, or Teba would try to help fly Link back across with the assistance of elixirs tuned specifically for Rito physiology to increase strength and stamina. Those stationed on Vah Medoh would be keeping careful watch for them and try to fly out into the gorge a little ways to catch the Champions before they could tire too much and plummet to the abyss below. 

It had turned out that Rito metabolism was much more delicate than Hylian, though. Zelda had found through careful study that the elixirs they had designed would do the job if necessary -- but were likely to make Teba quite ill for some time afterwards. And Purah and Robbie were still unsure of whether the Sheikah slate would work as expected on the other side of the gorge, for the same reason they doubted Vah Medoh's function on the other side, so the Sheikah slate might not be able to transport Link back. But this seemed to be the best set of failsafes they could come up with.

And now that the set-up of this complicated plan had been completed, and Link and Teba had indicated that they were as ready as they'd ever be, today was the day.

Zelda smiled at the Champions and said, "Well, then, let's make the final preparations!" Sidon, Makeela, Yunobo, and Teba exchanged a collective look and went to the door. Sidon clapped Link on the shoulder on his way out and said, "Travel well," and Yunobo reminded him: "Don't forget to use Daruk's protection when you're in the cannon." Makeela kissed him on the cheek, and Teba bowed and said, "I'll see you in Hebra." Link thanked each of them as they discreetly took their leave of the Queen and her Consort. Link walked to Zelda and took her hands, standing a little away and gazing at her intently, as if he were trying to memorize her.

Zelda sighed, gazing back at him standing there. He looked very much as he had a year ago, just after her coronation. The way the light shone on him through the window was just like it had been during their commitment ceremony in the Temple of Time. They'd stood before the statue of the Goddess and prayed for her to bless their union; the small group of friends and colleagues had cheered when they kissed afterwards... and Link had shone then, not just in the sunlight, but also with a kind of inner light, the light she'd known could save them from the Calamity, a century ago... and even now, she could see that in him. This was the light that would keep him safe, even on the distant side of the gorge in a country none of them had ever seen. And this was the light that would bring him back to her. Just the same...

"Be careful, my love," Zelda said to him. He nodded, smiled, leaned in to kiss her deeply. And as he pulled away, still smiling, he bent down to drop a little kiss on her swelling belly. She'd had to start wearing dresses with higher waistlines, already. She was just grateful that she wasn't yet unwieldy enough to be unable to survey and do field work. Of course, she hadn't had much opportunity for that since her coronation, but she still managed to go out once every few weeks.

"Don't worry," she told him. "I'll take care of the little passenger. But don't be *too* long away," she added reprovingly. He laughed, shook his head and promised to be back soon, laying a hand on hers where she'd rested it, just below her belly button. 

And it *was* intended to be a short survey. She sighed and said, "I do wish I could go with you, to see all the new things there are to be discovered on the continent to the north!" They both knew that of course that she wouldn't have been able to go, even if she weren't expecting. The ruler of Hyrule needed to stay home, even if she did want to experience what else was out there.

Link told her not to worry, holding up the Sheikah slate, swearing to take pictures of everything he saw there, and then quickly snapped a picture of her before she could stop him. He knew she hated pictures of herself, but it seemed fair enough for him to take one with him, so she didn't complain.

"May the Goddess... and the Champions... protect you," she said, semi-formally. She knew Link would know she meant Daruk, Revali, Mipha, and Urbosa. He nodded. In that moment, she felt all their presences in him... watching over both of them, comforting, guiding, protecting. And... maybe her father's spirit, too.

Then Link stepped back, bowed to her regally, and left, off to a new adventure.

**Author's Note:**

> I keep thinking that it's not so far to cross the gorge... Link seems to be able to cross pretty wide things on the paraglider when he's within the map's limits. So I'm not sure you need such an elaborate set-up to fling him over there, but this was what I came up with, at any rate. Don't ask me to calculate the ballistics of firing a Hylian out of a cannon from a hovering Divine Beast. :)  
> written 10 March-5 April 2019


End file.
